Richard B the EMT

Speaking for myself, if I consider myself sick or injured enough to seek out care other than my Primary Care Physician, take me to an ER, not a clinic, not a "Doc in the box".

Dusty, you have just become the candidate from the Straight Talking American Government Party. This will make you the first candidate from the STAG Party from 1968, when the STAG Party was founded by the late Pat Paulson!

I view school infirmaries, even university based ones, the same way I view the so called "Doc in a box" freestanding Emergency rooms: They are a nice stop gap measure that costs less than an ER attached, physically, with a hospital. However, if further care is needed, then you have the delay of calling 9-1-1 back to the clinic to transport to the at-hospital ER. If I needed medical attention, I'd want to go to a regular ER, where, presumably, they have capabilities far beyond the clinics, rapidly, as needed, if needed.

If cost is not a consideration, get both the on line and the hands on, but concentrate more with the hands on.

A buddy of mine had a Myna bird, a type that can be taught to talk. He felt the bird would try talking with it's human beings in residence at his apartment. He rigged a continuous loop tape in his tape player (this was 1968 state of the arts!), that kept repeating "Hel-lo, Hu-man". The bird just went "Awk!" With no people in the apartment, my friend left for several hours, with the tape player going, and as he descended the steps, he heard the following "conversation" between the player and the bird" "Hel-lo, Hu-man". "Awk!" "Hel-lo, Hu-man". "Awk!" "Hel-lo, Hu-man". "Aaawk!" When he returned 4 hours later, the bird was silent, but the tape player was going "Awk! Awk! Awk"!

"Double Secret Probation?"

FDNY EMS uses from time the call taker gets the call. The call taker can have the call entered into the Computer Assisted Dispatch system, dispatch can hand the call to that nearest appropriate ambulance, which will be on the way, even as the call taker is giving the "Do this until the ambulance gets there" instructions. The clock stops, officially, when the ambulance signals they are on the scene. New policies are adding "vertical delays" into the equations, as in time waiting for the elevator, time riding up to the elevator, or nobody to open the door, or whatever delay between on scene and patient contact. I am not adding the response of the Certified First Responder-Defibrillator Engine companies here, as I see that as a totally different string's worth of discussion.

Rule 1 of Off-road response vehicles (or off road vehicles in general): Being able to go off road means that you will be just that much farther away from the tow truck when you need it.

Frequent flyers and repeat customers? There was one patient known thruout the borough (every borough has to have at least one of them) for calling multiple times during a shift. One EMT took the book of 25 call reports, and set it up so all that was needed, was to add the times, vital signs, and the start/end mileages to the call sheet.

Then...what is a Nassau County A-EMT? I thought it meant "Advanced", as they are supposed to be able to start IVs.

Reminds me of the old story, which may have been also done on PBS' "Sesame Street", where a plumber comes to the old lady's house, when the lady is absent, rings the bell, and the parrot answer "Who is it?" The plumber says, "It's the plumber, I've come to fix the sink." Then, nothing. The plumber rings the bell, and the same scenario replays itself. Several times. The plumber gets so upset after repeating this, and succumbs to a Myocardial Infarction. Just then, the old lady returns home, finds the man laying on her doorsteps, and exclaims, "Oh, my goodness, who is it?" The bird responds "It's the plumber, he's come to fix the sink!"

It matters not what religion practiced by the EMT City members, Amen to that!

While not intended as fodder for jokes, one of my associates did get circumcised...at age 25! Most of us started talking around him in falsetto, and, admittedly, he was walking kind of funny for a couple of weeks. Worst part for him was, the woman he did it for broke up with him a year later. He did marry someone else, and has a few now senior teen children by her. I keep sporadic contact with him, and his brother's families, too.

That 4 day 3 night weekend, I'm going to be at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, in Kerhonkson, NY, for the "Pulse Check" Convention, educational conference, and trade show, of the New York State Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Association. Those going to that other one, enjoy, and for anyone going to "Pulse Check", I'll see you there!

The only Pastoral Care Provider I ever rode with was a Roman Catholic Nun, but when we rode together, she was strictly in the capacity of the trained EMT that she also was.

Where I have my "mantra" of following local protocols, someone else has a posted mantra which is quite the support of "hands on" training (sorry, i forget who you are):

We know it supports combustion, but sometimes it does so explosively. Hollywood, and possibly "Bollywood", explode "Oxygen" as much as they blow up cars in collisions, and for the same reason: Dramatic effect with poetic license from reality.

I thought they did.I believe it is called "Pro Bono" work?

Profits go to the mohel, who does the surgery, profits go to whoever sold the kosher wine, and profits to the bakery and the delicatessen for whatever food is purchased to be served at the celebration of the "Bris". It's a small amount of money, but it does "spread the wealth" a bit.

Point: New York State allows NREMT from within NYS, but does not accept it from other states.

I can't wait for the JibJab treatment of the Vice Presidential candidates!

That would mean a population of about 2 million souls? My usual population statement is 8 million residents, with another 2 million transients travelling through (JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Bus Terminals), coming in to various entertainments (Yankees, Mets, Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, "The Lion King", meeting up for par-tay with significant others, meeting up for par-tay with illicit significant others), sightseers, and we even have people who live elsewhere that work here!

Spenac, I was takling to Adam, and he wants HIS dollar back from you!

I'm not exactly a newbie, witnessed by something over 5,000 postings as I post here. I'm Richard B, the EMT. Been in the field for a short time...like...from 1973? Started at age 19 in the Peninsula Volunteer Ambulance Corps of the Rockaways (Queens County, New York City, New York, USA), rode with them from 1973 to when they went under in 1996. I held down the positions of EMT, Motor Vehicle Operator, Dispatcher, Dispatcher/Radio Training Officer, Quartermaster, Treasurer, and Chief of Operations at various times. I was awarded "Life Member" status shortly before they died from lack of the "M & Ms"...Members and Money, which most of us know, you need one to get the other. Concurrently with that, I worked my way through 5 different private, non 9-1-1 ambulance services, what here get referred to as IFT companies, for Inter Facility Transfer. Working municipal EMS, as a part of the 9-1-1 system of New York City, from 1985 to the "Merger" of EMS into the Fire Department of New York, abbreviated as FDNY, and pronounced as "FIDney". I'm still with them, but on limited duty due to a(nother) back injury, and am working in the FDNY Bureau of Health Services at headquarters. I miss the big picture window with a steering wheel in it. I have been at the crashes of Eastern Airlines flight 66 (113 dead), US Air flight 1010 (1 dead), and, a half mile from my house and home, American Airlines flight 587 (260 from the aircraft and 5 on the ground dead). There was also the safe landing of a 1930s single engine plane in Atlantic Beach, Nassau County, New York, on wet sand. (The pilot ran away, as the aircraft was full of illegal "recreational pharmaceuticals", but the Nassau County Police Department's 4th Precinct found him less than 24 hours later). I also was part of the rescue of the 330 illegal Chinese immigrant wannabees at Fort Tilden (Roxbury, Queens county, New York City, New York), from the "Golden Venture" (possibly 10 dead, we never had an exact count). I also have been a part of many smaller Multiple Casualty Incidents (MCIs) over the years. Due to my longevity in the field, my presence here is sometimes interpreted as me having some knowledge. Actually, I just know who to ask for further information on questions put to me. I answer a lot from the heart, not the textbook, but even when I quote chapter, page, and paragraph, I always remind everyone that the protocols I follow, of New York State and the FDNY EMS Command, have a major chance that they are not the protocols you are supposed to be following in your municipality, Parrish (spelling?), County, State or Provence, or Country, so I always refer you back to your higher medical authorities like the area's Department of Health (DoH). I like puns, so sometimes I will "pun"ish you with a few. I do talk with my tongue in cheek, which is why sometimes you cannot understand me (LOL). Also, being from Noo Yawk Ciddy, sometimes I tawk a bit differently from youse guyz. (Always fun typing in dialect!) I also can come off a bit grumpy, but usually mean no harm in it. That is probably my age (I'm a 1954 edition), showing. Also, like different protocols for different areas, there are no absolute universal acronyms, you know, initials that make up words? I may sometimes call youze to task for using a series of letters I don't follow you on. As example, I am used to saying ED (emergency department) or ER (emergency room), but was confused by a member's usage of DEM, which was later translated to me as "Department of Emergency Medicine". I can only suggest entering the wording in full, then going to the initials. PLEASE DO NOT TYPE ALL CAPITOLS! Here, that is interpreted as shouting, and friends don't shout at friends, or family, unless the building is on fire! Other than that, I welcome any and all of youse "Dudes", and "Dudettes", to the EMT City! ("Take a bow, Richard, sit down, and shut up for a while!")

Admittedly, this is for ambulance folks, not SNF personnel, but...A quick survey here: Per your local protocols, with a non rebreather mask, do you administer something like 10 to 15 liters per minute? As for the nasal cannula, when used, 2 to 6 liters per minute? Final question for the survey. Nasal cannula used when the patient cannot tolerate an NRB mask, or otherwise refuses a mask? I guess I have to adjust the color on my analog broadcast TV, as "Smurf" blue, and "Blue Man Group" blue appear the same to me.